The present invention relates to a method of developing a silver halide photosensitive (photographic) material such as a black-and-white film, black-and-white paper, color film or color paper. In particular, the present invention relates to a development method wherein fogging can be inhibited without reduction of sensitivity.
In the black-and-white development or color development of a silver halide photosensitive material in a developing tank containing a developer, fresh developer is supplied in an amount which varies depending on the amount of the silver halide photosensitive material to be treated and the exhausted developer is discharged from the tank by overflow in order to equalize the developing properties. The fresh developer is fed because as the amount of the developed silver halide photosensitive material is increased, the halogen ion concentration in the developer is increased due to the halogen eluated from the material, and the halogen ion impairs the developing activity of the developer. Therefore, in such a case, even though a considerable amount of the developing agent remains in the developer, the developing activity is reduced to reduce the activity and to cause the fogging. The developer is usually disposed in such a case.
Usually only one deevloping tank is used, but attempts are now being made to use two or more developing tanks (multistage developing tanks) in order to improve the efficiency of the development. In this method, a fresh developer is preferably fed into the first tank (prior tank) into which the photosensitive material is to be first introduced and the overflow is successively introduced into the subsequent tanks. However, the sensitivity of the processed photosensitive material is reduced as the development proceeds.